Nutley High School Seniors Commit to College

Desiree Vigilante- 22 January 2019

Submitted by Desiree Vigilante
on 22 January 2019

Senior year is full of surprises and fun activities, such as prom, the senior fashion show, and most importantly, applying to colleges. Tension rises as students send their best SAT scores and most well-written essays to their colleges of choice. The wait for responses seems to stretch on forever, but when students get accepted into colleges, it is the best feeling in the world.

By this point in the school year, many students have heard back, and have officially committed or enrolled in college. Some students who have already committed to college are: Joshua O’Neill, Courtney Wilde, Gianna Searls, Sarah Elphick, and many others.

Joshua O’Neill has committed to Stony Brook University, located in Long Island, New York. Josh was recruited at the beginning of September for baseball, and officially committed by the end of that month. He chose this school because he,“felt the most comfortable,” and it was the best fit for him with coaches. He was originally thinking about football in college, but ended up quitting that at the beginning of junior year to focus solely on baseball. Josh said he had offers from other schools, including Villanova University and Seton Hall University. Josh, “wasn’t fixed on any schools, and was weighing out his options to see if he would get any other offers.” He has not regretted his decision since committing, though he wonders if he had waited longer, what schools he might have been in contact with.

Courtney Wilde is committed to Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. She was recruited for softball. Courtney said she wanted to play basketball in college, but a previous player on her basketball team made her, “doubt her ability to play,” so she decided to focus on softball. When she was making a decision, she says she had four different offers from schools. Rutgers was her first choice, but she also really liked East Carolina University. She says that she chose Rutgers over East Carolina, because, “nothing compares to being home.” In college, she will be living on campus and going in with an undecided major.

Gianna Searls has officially enrolled into her top college of choice, Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island. Johnson and Wales is the fourth best culinary institution in the country, and this was a big factor in Gianna’s decision. She received a $27,000 scholarship for academics as well. She has decided on culinary nutrition as her major. Gianna also got accepted into The Culinary Institute of America, which is the second best culinary institution in the country. When she was making her decision, she was torn between which one she liked better. “I chose JWU, because I want to meet people who aren’t only studying culinary.” At CIA (Culinary Institute of America), the focus is solely on culinary arts and what swayed her decision.

Sara Elphick is enrolled officially in Caldwell University, located in Caldwell, New Jersey. Sara will be studying criminal justice because, “they have an amazing program.” She says this was her top choice, because of all the courses they offer. Sara also says that, “Caldwell was the only school [she] applied to,” and she is happy that it is so close to home. She will still be living at home rather than on campus next year.

Overall, many students at Nutley High School have planned out exactly where they are going to college. While many students have been recruited for sports, there are many who have chosen and enrolled in schools for academics or other features like location and price.